The current research explores the
use of halloysite nanotube as a multifunctional filler in epoxy coating
for carbon steel. Epoxy monomer loaded halloysite was incorporated
into epoxy coating along with amine hardener immobilized mesoporous
silica. The waterproofing, self-healing, anticorrosive abilities,
and stability under weathering of the coating were evaluated. The
halloysite nanotubes are able to impart better waterproofing property
to the coating. The released epoxy monomer encapsulated inside the
halloysite cavity upon reaction with amine curing agent immobilized
in mesoporous silica recovers the damage and thereby facilitates self-healing
in epoxy coating. Apart from offering healing ability to the coating,
the halloysite nanotubes are able to protect the coatings for a longer
period from severe weathering conditions.
Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) with flexible and simple design have pronounced significance in fabricating sustainable devices for self-powering electronics. This study demonstrates the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite fibers from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) filled zinc oxide (ZnO)/iron oxide (FeO) nanomaterials. The nanocomposite fiber based flexible PENG shows piezoelectric output voltage of 5.9 V when 3 wt% of ZnO/FeO hybrid nanomaterial is introduced, which is 29.5 times higher than the neat PVDF. No apparent decline in output voltage is observed for almost 2000 s attributed to the outstanding durability. This higher piezoelectric output performance is correlated with the β-phase transformation studies from the Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and the crystallinity studies from the differential scanning calorimetry. Both these studies show respective enhancement of 3.79 and 2.16% in the β-phase crystallinity values of PVDF-ZnO/FeO 3 wt% composite. Higher dielectric constant value obtained for the same composite (three times higher than the neat PVDF) confirms the increased energy storage efficiency as well. Thus the proposed soft and flexible PENG is a promising mechanical energy harvester, and its good dielectric properties reveals the ability to use this material as good power sources for wearable and flexible electronic devices.
Super oleophilic fibers of styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) block copolymer/mesoporous silica (MS) nanocomposites are fabricated by electrospinning, and their oil absorption efficiency is monitored by following two different approaches. The first way is by using the fibers as tubular packing materials for oil absorption, whereas the second approach uses the fibers as filtration membrane after deposition on the commercial polyethersulfone (PES) support. All composites are made by adding inorganic MS in different concentrations (2, 4, and 7 wt.%) to SIS block copolymer. The addition of MS increases the fiber diameters and leads to enlarged and bead-like appearances, especially at higher filler concentrations. The oil absorption efficiency is explored based on the oil absorption capacity of the samples as well as with the gravity-driven oil filtration experiments. The best oil absorption efficiency is achieved by the 4 wt.% SIS-MS composite (150% higher oil absorption capacity compared to the neat SIS), and it is used to spin on the PES mechanical support of different pore sizes (0.2 μ and 8 μ). Ultrafiltration tests conducted on those coated membranes observe improved oil rejection performance as the fibrous SIS-MS are layered on the commercial mechanical support.
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